Missionary —> Hairstylist

My fortune cookie: You will learn the value of a hug.

Me: ...😳😖

Anyone that knows me knows I prefer a handshake or a fist bump over a hug, but here I am, learning how to get out of my #comfortzone

As I listened to one of the sisters sniffle and wipe away tears, a battle went on in my mind. "She needs a hug... oh no, oh man, I can't do this... put on your big girl pants YOU CAN DO IT."

And I did. Still don't love hugs. But I learned the value!

We don't hug the people that we meet each day, but there is a warm glow in their eyes as a connection is made. Bear Valley has THE STRANGEST people I've ever met and they have the biggest place in my heart! With each moment together- listening to their life stories, planting flowers, pretending to like their animals- we become more connected.

The most important connection that we can strengthen is our connection to Christ. As I've gotten outside my comfort zone to help those around me, I find myself more connected to Christ. What connects you to Him?

Love big! Love hard!

Sister Rex

PICTURES:

Out adventuring per usual

Ultimate trust... out here dying hair!

"There's no going back, you're going blonde!"

Pretty morning trail run

WANNABE HORSEGIRL

Chloe wasn't having it:/ love her tho!!!

Future business partners? #keepitclassy

Out adventuring per usual

#fearNOman

 For better or for worse, I be fearing no man out here in Tehachapi 

After a series of wild events, we were standing on the porch of an alcoholic who was shooting his bb gun and growling at us to his delete his address. I just stared into his mascara coated eyes and chatted away. 

We're fearless but we're not stupid, we've been putting together ~The Clark Case~ and boy oh boy do we have a story!!! I'll keep you posted on any interesting leads but right now all we know is that God places people in our lives for a reason and He works in MyStErIoUs ways. 

Every single day is an adventure here- we live to find joy in the simple moments! God has SHOWERED down miracle after miracle here, opening our hearts to a lot of heartache with a lot more love. 

Fear not.

Isaiah 41:10,14 - FEAR NOT I am with thee, I'll strengthen thee and help thee

Isaiah 42:1-5 - FEAR NOT I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by name, I am with thee

Doctrine and Covenants 6:33-36 - FEAR NOT to do good, look unto me in every thought, doubt not fear not

And most importantly 

1 John 4:18

PERFECT LOVE CASTETH OUT FEAR

Love big! Love hard!

Sister Rex

PICTURES:

TETHERBALL BBY

2 happy girls soaking it all in

The YUMMIEST strawberries for a cute fruit stand on the side of the road!

Golden Girls!!!💗

Oh how we love our district of sisters + these fellas

One of those nights you want to last forever 

If you only knew the pain that went into building this chicken coop

Building the kingdom of God one chicken coop at a time 

Nothing gets us laughing like watching people's reactions during meetings 

Whoopsies

 These are my days NEVER to be forgotten. A week of spiritually defining memories right here!!! 

     •Everyday we break down our walls with the wrecking ball of vulnerability, we have our "vulnerable" alarm goes off at noon

     •Unmute did me dirty again, I was humming hymns in my head and sung ONE line out loud "gird up you loinsss" when our stake president made a comment about it. My eyes went HUGE and I HIT THAT MUTE button as fast as I could 

     •My heart has been tugged in a million directions, GOD IS SO GOOD, THE SPIRIT IS SO STRONG and I have the tear stains to show it;)) 

     •Jerry warned us it would be an adventure to get to his off the grid cabin and we accepted. And an adventure it was!!!! Lost and got a little old lady stuck in the snow, Jerry got her unstuck with his wench and then we had a lesson on top of a beautiful mountain, sitting in the back of our car surrounded by the stillness of nature. Took a moment to soak it all in and just BE THERE

"It doesn't get easier, it gets better." 

This week was the best not because we hit all our KIs, not because it was easy, but because it was stretching. Stretching is painful but that is what strengthens us and brings us closer to our Savior Jesus Christ. 

We are helping people wherever they are at come closer to Christ. That is what life is all about and it has made my heart SO SO BIG I LOVE IT!!! Somehow my heart keeps on growing:') 

Wherever you're at, you can take one step closer to Jesus Christ. How are you going to stretch so that you can be closer to Him?

Love big! Love hard! 

Sister Rex 

PICTURES:

A glowing sky to match my glowing heart!!!

Enjoying our pretty drive up to Jerry's 

This woman thought she was gonna have to spend the night in the mountains ahahaha

Whoopsies!!! Sorry Sister Burroughs and thanks Jerry!

DREAMY VIEWS, this is where he lives!!!

Hehehe sharing LoVe

A lesson I'll never forget 

Frosty wonderland!

Two girls always searching for adventure 

Cutie comp + cutie views

DREAM BIG

9 WORDS 4 YOU:

"If you can dream it, you can do it." 

President Gordon B Hinckley himself said "there is not anything that you cannot do if you will set your mind to it." YOU CAN DO IT but it must be WITH Christ. Have the desire and get to work and big things start happening.

See what You + Christ can do.

9:00 pm the night before Valentines Day the sisters we live with ran in and said "we received revelation that we need to make valentines for all of our less active families." We GRINDED and made 100 cutie valentines, this is a wonderful work we get to be apart of;) Our week was full of delivering our own valentines and man, it was a good week. I LOVE the people here!!!

Valentines day is THE BEST holiday, ALL ABOUT LOVE!!! And the thing I love most about the gospel of Jesus Christ is that it's centered on love. Because Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you, they have high expectations for you. They want you to become something great, they are on your team and they love you. Return their love by dreaming big and working to achieve those dreams! 

If you can dream it, YOU CAN DO IT with Christ

Love big! Love hard!

Sister Rex

PICTURES:

Docmenting this: I like oatmeal!! I always forget that

FIRST CAFE RIO IN 9 MONTHS #cheatmeal

Bear Valley viewsss

CHEF SIMPSON 

FOG town

Pls appreciate the matching valentines fits: black and white hearts with cutie pink headbands #festive

Bear Valley viewsss

In my favorite place:)) 

 

Lil kung fu panda action

Cutie Tehachapi streets

She DOES have emotions!!

Friends let me tell you about our good friend Susan. We LOVE this woman, she's a hermit (her own words) who has shut off all emotion after some rather traumatic experiences and she is INTELLIGENT, she always leaves us thinking. AND she read my face- this woman does it all EXCEPT show emotion or recognize the Spirit. Every day we tell her "we love you!" and we get a wave and a closed mouth smile in return.

Susan has been known missionaries for 20 years and throughout my 3 months working with her I've gone back and forth if we should drop her or not 

But here we are, reading the Book of Mormon with her every day and here are some of her comments from our reading:

    •"Why isn't 3 Nephi by the rest of the Nephi's?" 

    •"Jesus maybe popped over to the US maybe stayed for some burgers"

    

I love her but sometimes I do not have patience with her SUSAN C'MON NOW FOCUS, CHRIST LOVES YOU. She isn't phased by anything. We invite her to church, she says "okay." We tell her God loves her "cool." Anything we ask her to do "sure."

But one day, she was flustered, she was overwhelmed and she was no longer this independent hermit with no emotions. She was a person who needed love. And there we were, reading Alma 36 together and for once, instead of throwing out her "Susan" comments, she listened. And she opened up. And this woman showed the heart that she has locked up for so long. 

Susan ended our call with 2 words that melted my heart: "love you." 

I know with all my heart that the Book of Mormon is true. There is power as we read it together and it helps us feel the "one by one" love that Christ has for each of us. 

Love big! Love hard! 

Sister Rex 

PICTURES:

A CHILLY but lovely walk down mainstreet 

One of TWO palm trees in Tehachapi

Nightly avocado eating time down from 33 minutes to 6 minutes!!! The first night was ROUGH 

The sky makes our 6:30 am runs worth it!

Sister Simpson!!! A qt!!!

New Comp New Diet

President announces missionwide health challenge*

Me: 🥳cheers🥳

The rest of my quad: EAT THE BROWNIES GRAB THE DONUTS MAKE THE COOKIES 

Our weekend was full of sugar and then. THEN Sister Simpson comes into the picture. This is gonna be one heck of a transfer!! She's a college athlete that was teaching a fitness coach in her last area that gave her a new diet that terrifies me but #compunity so we're in it together 

I'll keep you posted on my fitness journey😙 

This week was TOUGH but here is what I've come to realize: I am like one of those inflatable balloon guys that have weights in the bottom and everytime you punch it, it pops right back up. I get "punched," I hit the ground, and then I pop right back up. Literally hahahah. But here's the key to all of this, this is why I do pop back up: Christ is my anchor. Christ is the weight that keeps this inflatable balloon guy (me) popping back up. 

We can't escape the punches of life, those come whether we want them or not, but we choose how we react to them. Choose to come back with Christ. When we get discouraged, when we slip up, when life gets hard, pop back with Christ. 

Love big! Love hard! 

Sister Rex

PICTURES:

Always laughing at ourselves 

She popped my back and I actually was paralyzed for a few hours, not fun

The face of a girl who cannot believe how long some of our phones calls go ahaha

Crisp evening out in the fields 

Seriously LOVE this girl, we fully believe we got split up because we have too much fun together

Bye Sister Crook:((

My forever favorite zone!!

Last reHATCHed district council:( 

Peep our invisible car😎